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Catch A Ride
"Catch A Ride", also titled "Episode 3", is the third episode of Telltale Games' Tales from the Borderlands. Synopsis After a dizzying escape from a very-near-almost-certain-death scenario (involving statuesque buttocks), Rhys and Fiona find themselves looking for another piece of the puzzle that will lead them to the untold riches of Vault key ownership. Lost in the mysterious jungle of an Atlas terraforming facility, Fiona finds help from an unexpected mentor, Rhys continues to share brain-space with the disembodied mind of a dead dictator, and love is in the air. Pursued by the ruthless criminal 'Queenpin' Vallory, and with very little help from Vaughn's accountancy skills (or stellar abs), getting anywhere near the Vault will be entirely up to you. Plot Later in the day, The Masked Kidnapper is driving Rhys and Fiona through the desert. He questions Rhys about his decision from the end of the previous episode (either trusting Jack or trusting Fiona). Suddenly, their car suffers a flat tire (the spare one Fiona replaced in the last episode) and the group continues on foot to wherever the stranger is taking them. Rhys then continues the story. If Rhys trusted Fiona, the two use the cover of the stun grenade to escape with the Gortys sphere down a corridor and back into the main lobby, killing several of August's bandits in the process (with the help of the security bots, the turrets still online, and Fiona's hat). While planning their escape, a security bot hits Vaughn with a stun dart (which will leave him stuck in that position for most of the episode). They escape by launching the Atlas statue's globe down the corridor, killing a bunch of bandits and clearing a path for them to fly out. If Rhys trusted Jack, he is given control of all the turrets, who break through the shielding on the window. They then start attacking everyone indiscriminately, but Jack leaves one bot for Rhys to control (lovingly dubbed "Dumpy"), which Rhys uses to attack the bandits. He then uses Loader Bot to push the Atlas statue down (by pushing the rear, no less), releasing the globe, breaking through the door, and giving them an opening for escape. While flying out of the facility, they are shot down by a cannon, scattering the group across the courtyard and forcing Fiona to drop the Gortys sphere, which is stopped by a fancifully dressed woman, quickly revealed to be none other than Vallory. Vallory offers her hand to pull Fiona up from the ground, which she can either reject or accept. Vallory, after dismissing an angry Finch (still damaged from Fiona shooting him with an elemental) from a potential confrontation, reveals she is short ten million dollars and looking for someone to blame for the loss. The player can choose to tell her that either Felix, August, or Vasquez is to blame. If Fiona chooses August, Vallory rips his nose ring out. Regardless of who she chooses, though, Vallory ultimately decides that as long as the Gortys project is worth more than the ten million bucks they stole, she doesn't need Vasquez anymore, and she promptly kills him. She is prepared to kill Fiona as well, but she either takes a knife and cuts her into pieces, or throws her grenade into Vallory's mouth, blowing her head off. The Masked Kidnapper quickly points out that flashbang grenades don't do that. Rhys, amused, takes over. Just as Vallory fires the bullet directly at Fiona's head, Athena appears, blocks the bullet, and knocks out the rest of Vallory's crew. Preferring to avoid a confrontation, Vallory and August retreat. Athena, thoroughly pissed, reveals to Fiona and Sasha she has been trying to help them. While recovering from the past events, Athena reveals that Felix hired her to protect and mentor the two girls. They then figure out how to turn on the Gortys sphere, which turns it into a surprisingly cute and happy robot named Gortys (who is very excited to meet you!). Gortys then explains that she was designed by Atlas to beat Hyperion to a Vault,with her parts built in various facilities all over Pandora. Only the project was abandoned when Athena (who is watching nearby) killed every last Atlas employee on the planet. Gortys then tries to lead everyone towards the next piece she needs to be completed, starting with pulling Vasquez's dead body. The player can either tell Gortys that he is dead, sleeping, or sick. Over the opening credits, the group is forced on a lengthy road trip, where a number of things happen, among others: Sasha finds some Rakk eggs and makes eggs and toast for Athena and Rhys; the group recreates the art museum pose from Ferris Bueller's Day Off; Fiona (if Rhys didn't get it back in the last episode), throws Rhys's shoe at him; Athena loses at Bunkers and Badasses and angrily throws the board away; Loader Bot and Gortys hang out on the roof of the caravan; Rhys (if he trusted Handsome Jack), is snapped out of his boredom at the wheel when Jack sticks his holographic fingers out from Rhys's nipples; Athena gives Sasha some target practice by having her bounce bullets off her shield into an old billboard of Handsome Jack, while the real Jack watches with horror. One evening, Rhys is hanging around in the caravan when Handsome Jack appears to him, warning him not to tell Athena he has Jack in his brain or she'll kill him. Athena wakes up, having heard Rhys, and asks who he is talking to. Rhys can either wave it off or tell her (or at least try to––Handsome Jack will take control of his hand and punch him) before retreating to the roof, where Jack talks to him about either their alliance or Rhys trusting Fiona. Rhys can maintain, start, or reject an alliance with Jack, which Jack will remember (he also notices the notification on the upper-left hand corner of your screen saying this). They arrive at an Atlas biodome that Gortys says her next piece is in, where they find some unusual (and in some cases, lethal) flora and fauna. If you trusted Jack in the previous episode, try scanning all the plants to read his "Jackapedia" entries. A door leading to Gortys's next piece is blocked, so Loader Bot works to clear it. If Vaughn was not paralyzed at the start of the episode, he discusses his place as Rhys's partner, bringing up an incident at a club in their youth where Vaughn wasn't let in because he was "too nerdy." Rhys can encourage Vaughn, saying their adventure has changed him completely; or he can brush it off, which Vaughn will not be happy about. They enter a seemingly empty room that shows signs that someone has been living there, including eaten food and some dirty clothes. If you like, look for the Quick Change station to get everyone some new items. After determining the biodome is an old Atlas facility designed to hide Gortys's piece, they meet the inhabitant of the room––an old man, which the splash title only lists as "????" He seems highly nervous about the group (especially Athena, who is equally suspicious about him), insisting they leave. If Vaughn was paralyzed at the start of the episode, he gives Fiona a syringe that cures his affliction. He initially claims a tragic backstory and the biodome is simply a stopping point in his journey for peace, but Fiona easily calls bull, pointing out the various signs he's been living in the dome for years. Relenting, he explains Gortys's next piece is located deeper into the biodome, but is protected by an automated security system that needs to be shut down separately. The group then splits up: Vaughn, Gortys, Loader Bot, and the mysterious man stay in the room; Rhys and Sasha go to shut down the security system; and Fiona and Athena go to grab the Gortys piece. While telling his part of the story, Rhys recognizes a landmark that helps him finally spot something on the ground, which Fiona and the Stranger are shocked to see. Rhys and Sasha chat about her relationship with August. She admits that though he was really just a target, she did have a chance to get to know a different side of him. Their travel is hindered when the catwalk they are using to get to the security tower collapses. Sasha, realizing she is pulling (a highly melodramatic) Rhys down as he clings to the remains, decides to let go––whereupon she reveals, to Rhys's embarrassment, they were only a few inches off the ground. After recovering, they decide to take the scenic route to the security tower. Upon entering the jungle, Athena and Fiona encounter a monstrous plant. Seeing Fiona's pistol, she declares Felix was holding her back and fixes it so it no longer has an elemental burnout, before giving her a lot of bullets to fight the plant, seeing it as a chance for Fiona to learn how to be a vault hunter. Fiona tries to reject this fate Athena's cutting out for her, but after some encouragement, manages to kill the plant. Fiona can then accept her possible future as a Vault Hunter, or decide she prefers conning. Sasha and Rhys encounter a group of floating creatures that seem to group around a glowing plant that Sasha admires. Rhys can pick a flower and give it to Sasha as a romantic/friendly gesture or keep it for himself. Either way, picking the flower disturbs the creatures who chase them through the jungle to the security tower. Fiona and Athena make it to the Gortys piece building, but are stopped by a turret. Athena gets distracted by a call from her girlfriend Janey Springs, who wants to know where she is. She lies, claiming she's on a long delivery. After Fiona defeats the turret, they discuss Athena's reasoning behind lying to her girlfriend. Regardless of the discussion, Athena decides it is a distraction and they enter the building using Pollux's eyeball (which Athena declares is the weirdest thing she has ever seen). Fiona tries to grab the Gortys piece but they are stopped by a crowd of turrets––Sasha and Rhys have not shut down the security system yet. Sasha and Rhys finally make it into the security tower, but notice the flying creatures are trying to break in. Rhys manages to disable the turrets, but in the process discovers the true identity of "????": he is Cassius LeClemaine, the last known Atlas employee on Pandora. Suddenly, the flying creatures break in and push Rhys out onto the ground below, knocking him out. If Rhys trusted Jack in the previous episode, Rhys last hears Handsome Jack's voice claiming he is taking over for now. Fiona and Athena return to the room, where the mysterious man is insistent that they leave, despite Rhys and Sasha not being back yet. The pair soon return, and either Sasha or Rhys (rather, Jack) reveal the man's true identity. Athena, who has long held a vow to kill any Atlas personnel in revenge for the death of her sister some years earlier, makes the jump to kill him. Fiona can either let Athena take her revenge or convince her to stand down. After a moment, a window breaks and Fiona and Athena are dragged down into the jungle by Finch and Kroger. tbc In-Game Decisions Fiona: Who's to blame for the Vault key deal? * Told Vallory that Felix was to blame - 27.9% * Told Vallory that Vasquez was to blame - 59.4% * Told Vallory that August was to blame - 11.4% Did you prevent or agree to Athena to kill Cassius? * Prevented Athena from killing Cassius - 55.1% * Agreed that Athena should kill Cassius - 25.5% Allow or refuse to let Vallory to help you up? * Let Vallory help you up - 67% * Refused to let Vallory help you up - 33% Rhys: Made a tentative alliance with Handsome Jack? * Made a tentative alliance - 63.1% * Refused to work - 36.9% Gave flower to Sasha? * Gave flower to Sasha - 78.2% * Let Sasha pick the flower - 21.8% Let go of Sasha? * Allowed Sasha to let go of you - 2% * Refused to let go of Sasha - 98% Credits * Rhys * Fiona * Vaughn * Sasha * Gortys * Loader Bot * Hugo Vasquez * August * Handsome Jack (AI) * Gary * Finch * Kroger * Vallory * Athena * Scooter * Dumpy * Cassius * Janey Springs (''Determinant, Voice Only) * Brick * Mordecai * Gary Impacts * The mask, that Fiona hangs on the caravan wall, is the one you purchased in Episode One. * The episode's opening differs from your final choice in the previous episode. * Finch's injury depends on what element Fiona shoots him with in the previous episode. * The caravan's appearance may differ if you purchased a new paint job in the previous episode. * Rhys and Handsome Jack's conversation differs from who you trusted in the previous episode. * Handsome Jack will possess Rhys if you trust him. Deaths * Gary *Dumpy (Determinant) * Hugo Vasquez Promotional Poster TBA Trivia *First appearance of Vallory. *First appearance of Cassius. *First appearance of Brick. *First appearance of Mordecai. *First appearance of Dumpy (Determinant) *First (and last) appearance of Gary. *Last appearance of Hugo Vasquez (Alive). *Mordecai also mentions Lilith, another protagonist from Borderlands 1. *This episode explains how Athena got captured in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. *The episode's poster, of Vallory stabbing a knife through someone's hand, is a reference to a scene from BioShock Infinite where Booker DeWitt has the same thing happen to him. Incidentally, Troy Baker, the voice of Rhys, was also the voice of Booker DeWitt––whether the poster also alludes to this is unknown, though given Booker DeWitt is one of Baker's most-known roles, it is unlikely the developers were unaware of this fact. *The scene where Rhys, Vaughn, Sasha, and Fiona are standing as a group after Fiona hangs her psycho mask from Episode 1 is a deliberate reference to Ferris Bueller's Day Off, with Rhys, Sasha, Fiona, and Vaughn taking the positions of Cameron, Sloane, Ferris, and the guy in the background, respectively. *The scene in the opening montage of the group playing Bunkers and Badasses is an in-joke about Laura Bailey, the voice of Fiona: Bailey is a massive fan of the Dungeons and Dragons, the game B&B parodies, and stars in the popular D&D-themed webseries Critical Role. Achievements